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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

TWD: Best-Ever Brownies


This week's Tuesdays with Dorie featured a recipe for the best ever brownies.  It is also my FIRST time hosting for the group and I could not have been more excited to be trying a new brownie recipe!  In my opinion, this recipe had a lot to live up to.  A couple years ago, I went on a brownie baking spree where I tried to find the recipe that would become my go-to brownie recipe.  I tried every single brownie recipe from every single cooking magazine or cookbook I owned.  My results declared the fudgy, delicious, completely sinful brownies from the Baked cookbook to be the standard by which all other brownies would be judged.

Until this recipe came along.


My husband and I belong to the group of brownie-lovers who believe that the more dense, fudgy, close-to-being-raw brownies are the best.  Granted, we would never turn an opportunity to gobble down a cakey brownie...but our hearts truly lie with the super gooey variety.

These brownies did not disappoint in that department.  They were gooey to the point of being raw, but that is exactly what made them so sensationally irrisistible.  The secret lies in how the eggs are treated.  Half are incorporated immediately into the warm brownie batter while the rest are whipped until they are pale and light.  These are then folded gently into the batter immediately before transferring the brownies to the oven to bake.  My knife came out clean at 28 minutes baking and I let the brownies rest overnight before cutting into them the next afternoon.  I was a little shocked by how creamy they appeared and expressed my concerns to my husband, but he was too busy polishing off his third brownie to listen or care.  According to him, these are "the best brownies in the world."


Paul took the rest of the batch into work with him and returned home with an empty plate and no less than 10 requests for the recipe.  I'm telling you, these are good brownies.

My heart might still be with the Baked brownie, but I would make these again in a heartbeat.  I especially loved the suggestion in the cookbook about using them as a mix-in for homemade ice cream.  We will definitely be trying that next summer!


Best-Ever Brownies
from Baking with Julia

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour and salt together and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently and keeping a watchful eye on the pot to make certain the chocolate does not scorch.  Add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture and stir for half a minute, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl.

Put the remaining 1 cup sugar and the eggs into the bowl of a mixer and whisk by hand just to combine.  LIttle by little, pour half the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.  Fit the whisk attachment to the mixer and whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are pale, thick, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.  Using the rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.  When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.

Pour and scrape the batter into an unbuttered 9-inch square glass or ceramic pan.  Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.  Cut into the center at about the 23-minutews mark to see how they are progressing.  They will be perfect if they are just barely set and still gooey.  Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.  Cut into bars and serve.

The brownies will keep, covered, for 2-3 days at room temperature and can be frozen for up to a month!

38 comments:

  1. Holy cow - I would kill for one of these. Yes, I am definitely a lover of the ooey gooey brownie (more so the better) than the cakey variety - though like you I wouldn't turn down either.

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  2. They turned out incredibly gooey, I´m not surprised everyone liked them! I too think the baked brownie is probably the best but I made these in just one bowl and they were so incredibly good that they will be repeated often. Thanks for hosting!

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  3. Mine turned out kinda gooey too - but I thought them a little too gooey. I would have liked them to hold their shape a little better.
    Thanks for hosting!

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  4. thank you very much for hosting. Yours looked delicious! Mine were more cake-like, I need to try them again.

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  5. Thank you for hosting! Your brownies look beautiful. I always firm up this type of brownie with a rest in the freezer, but your pictures make me wish I'd tried them at room temperature.

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  6. Monica, thank you so much for hosting today! Your "Best-Ever Brownies" look quite heavenly - deep, dark, fudgy and chocolaty - just the way they were supposed to look like! Wonderfully done and presented!

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  7. This really is one great recipe. We loved them--but I like most all brownies. I have a favorite in several categories!
    Great photos, thanks for hosting.

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  8. Great post, Monica! My mouth is watering, itching to try some of your delicious looking brownies. Thanks for hosting!

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  9. I think if I had taken mine out at 23 minutes they would have been gooey like yours. I honestly wasn't sure what they were supposed to look like since we didn't have a photo to go by, but we thought these were really good. I also love the Baked brownie. :) Thank you so much for hosting!

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  10. Thanks so much for hosting! I love how gooey your brownies look!

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  11. Thank you for hosting this beautiful recipe today!
    Your brownies look so good, chewy and gooey!!! and the pictures are awesome.

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  12. Thank you for hosting! I love the crust on yours, it looks fantastic. Beautiful photos.

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  13. Mine came out like yours. I baked I would say 30 minutes. I was outside when the kitchen timer went off so it may have been give or take a few minutes.

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  14. Beautiful brownies - look at that ooey, gooey interior! That's what I like! Lovely job, and thanks for hosting!

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  15. Now those are some chewy gooey brownies! Beautiful job hosting. I love the Baked book - it's awesome!

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  16. A beautiful mess indeed! Look at that fudgy goodness, my God, I can't wait to bake these brownies! I came over from Lizzy's and I'll be popping around more often :)

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  17. Omgggggggggggggosh, these look faaabulous. WOW.

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  18. Dense, fudgy, almost-baked your pictures are incredible! Thanks for hosting and I hope you receive a ton of views on your website, Blessings, Catherine www.praycookblog.com

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  19. I love your brownies!
    I have the baked book, you've made me curious now, I'll have to try it!

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  20. Oh wow, these brownies sound unbelievable! I love brownies with a fudgy texture too, so these would be perfect.

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  21. SO FUDGY! :)

    We loved them too!

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  22. So gooey and fudgy, these brownies look absolutely delicious! I've been looking for a perfect brownies recipe, and these might just be the one! Thank you! :)

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  23. Thanks so much for hosting! Love how ooey and gooey yours look!

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  24. Thanks for hosting this week Monica. Your brownies look delicious. Everyone in our family truly loved this recipe, definitely one that we will make again many times in the future.

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  25. They look dense and rich and just like I like my brownies! I also cross-referenced the Baked brownies and those look even better...a higher ratio of chocolate overall it seems like in those. The brownies I make are similar to those - but now I want to try those!

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  26. Your brownies look fabulously gooey, I think, like the recipe intended. I baked mine for a wee bit longer and they were still pretty gooey! Perfect in my book. But I must try the Baked ones now. Thanks for hosting!

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  27. I don't know how these would be IN ice cream but I can tell you they were delicious WITH ice cream on top :-)
    Thanks for hosting this week.

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  28. Oh your brownies look amazing! I only made a mini-batch but I'm thinking I'll have to make it again already! Thanks for hosting :)

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  29. You picked a good recipe to host. We love ours all gooey in the center too and these did not disappoint. I somehow managed to NOT follow the instructions and dumped ALL the sugar into the chocolate. They still came out just fine!

    Your brownies look PERFECT!!

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  30. Thanks for hosting! Your photos look really good...I've not made them yet...and, now I can't wait to get in the kitchen and bake these...

    Carmen

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  31. mmm...so gooey! thanks for hosting this week. a good batch of brownies is always welcome in our house.

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  32. MMMMM..... looks yummy! You should bake these and bring it to our house for us. We all love brownies.

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  33. Monica, finally made the brownies...they didn't turn out as gooey rich as yours...I overbaked them. Next time I'll bake for less time. They were still yummy.

    Carmen
    http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/twd-baking-with-julia-best-ever-brownies-by-rick-katz/

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  34. What is the difference taste/texture-wise between these and the Baked brownies?

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